Primary Law by Jurisdiction
For primary law in any jurisdiction:
- Foreign Law Guide: Current Sources of Codes and Basic Legislation in Jurisdictions of the World (Reynolds and Flores) (BrillOnline) This link opens in a new windowOften referred to as Reynolds and Flores, this online service provides citations to official sources of foreign laws and alerts researchers to English translations of foreign codes, laws, and other relevant materials. Selected references to secondary resources published in English are also included.
- vLex This link opens in a new windowProvides full text access to cases, legislative codes, books, journals, and other primary and secondary materials from countries around the world in the original language of publication. The service's embedded translation software produces automatic translations that provide guidance but do not produce reliable, official translations. The content is continuously updated and can be browsed or searched. Use the "Browse" link to access specific jurisdictions.
- Primary law databases by jurisdiction:
- Law Library Electronic ResourcesSelect jurisdiction of interest from 'Foreign, Comparative & International Law Resources' menu.
- Canada Statute ServiceContains the full text of all consolidated federal statutes and regulations (except the Income Tax Act); the Canada Statute Citator, which alerts you to statutory changes and interpretive case law; and a complete amendment history for each statute since the 1985 revision including amendments that have received Royal Assent but are not yet in force.
- Canada Supreme Court ReportsThis collection contains the primary source for the official, bilingual series of published decisions of Canada's highest court, including more than 9,400 cases from 1876 - present.
- German Codes in English Online This link opens in a new windowThis website from the German Federal Ministry of Justice provides English translations of the German Civil (BGB), Criminal (StGB), Criminal Procedure (StPO), and Fiscal (AO) Codes as well as the Introductory Act to the Civil Code (EGBGB), Courts Constitution Act (GVG), German Judiciary Act (DRiG), and Youth Courts Law (JGG).
- Juris SpectrumProvides full text access to EU laws and regulations, German federal and state laws, EU and German case law, and legal journals and commentaries. The contents and search interface are in German. Law building only.
- Laws of GhanaAllows researchers to search, browse, and retrieve the full text of the constitution, statutory acts, and repealed acts with coverage beginning in the 1880s and continuing through 2008. See reference librarian for password access.
- Israel Law Reports (HeinOnline) This link opens in a new windowThis digitized collection of the Israel Law Reports, and its predecessor title the Selected Judgments of the Supreme Court of Israel, contains English language translations of Israeli court decisions back to 1948. A variety of research aids accompany the collection including a table of cases, table of legislation, and index. The collection also provides access to PDF images of the Israel Law Review back to 1966.
- Statutes of the Republic of KoreaThis website from the Korea Legislation Research Institute provides full text access to unofficial English translations of Korean legislation.
- Kodeks This link opens in a new windowThe Law Library offers access to Kodeks’ English language archive of translations of selected acts of the Russian Federation and the USSR for the period 1971-2008.
- All South African Law ReportsEnables browsing or keyword searching of the Consolidated Indexes back to 1996 and reported cases back to 1947. Includes the full text of leading judgments in all areas of the law. See reference librarian for password access.
General and Topical Coverage
- WIPOLexNational laws and treaties on intellectual property (IP) of WIPO, WTO and UN Members. From the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Westlaw & West Digest Topics
Westlaw Legal Topics:
Legal Information Institutes
Legal Information Institutes (multijurisdictional groupings):
- British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) This link opens in a new windowProvides full text access to court decisions and legislation from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales as well as decisions from specialized UK tribunals. Also includes decisions from the Court of Justice of the European Communities and European Court of Human Rights.
- Legal Information Institute (Cornell) This link opens in a new windowA free, full text, searchable database of U.S. federal primary materials including the U.S. Code, every U.S. Supreme Court case issued since 1990 and selected earlier decisions, and the Code of Federal Regulations. The site also serves as a portal to additional federal and state legal materials including statutes, cases, and administrative regulations.
- World Legal Information Institute (WorldLII) This link opens in a new windowResearchers can search the full text of legal information resources hosted by a variety of Legal Information Institutes and organizations such as the Australasian Legal Information Institute; British and Irish Legal Information Institute; Canadian Legal Information Institute; Cornell's Legal Information Institute; Droit Francophone; Global Legal Information Network; Hong Kong Legal Information Institute; Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute; South African Legal Information Institute and more. The emphasis is on providing access to the court decisions and legislation of specific countries but some treaties and other international legal materials are also included.
LexisNexis Topics
LexisNexis Legal Topics:
Please Note: These are available through Lexis.com, which is accessible through the drop-down menus at the top of Lexis Advance. They have not yet been made available on Lexis Advance.
Many countries are listed, but very little primary law is provided. Lexis usually only provides newsletter or periodical commentaries on a country's laws.
The Martindale-Hubbell Digests provide outlines of a particular country's laws:
